The Choice Is Clear: Hillary’s Vision for An America That Is Hopeful and Inclusive

On Thursday in North Carolina, Hillary Clinton continued to make her closing argument for the presidency, outlining her record of championing the interests of people of color throughout her career–in contrast with Donald Trump’s history of racial discrimination and divisive rhetoric. Throughout her professional life and candidacy, Hillary has pledged to take on social injustice, including systemic racism and sexism. If elected president, Hillary has vowed to pass end-to-end criminal justice reform and implement common sense gun reform, priorities of great concern to communities of color.

Trump, on the other hand, has throughout his life and this campaign repeatedly instilled division and hate–from championing the racist birther movement and courting conspiracy theorists, to calling for a deportation force for immigrant families and banning Muslims.

Long before Trump ran for president, he was sued by the Department of Justice for racial discrimination at his family’s housing developments in Brooklyn and Queens–in addition to discrimination at properties in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Norfolk, Virginia. Federal investigators were told that Trump employees would mark applications of prospective renters with “C” for “colored” and refused to rent to African Americans. At her event in Winterville today, Mae Brown Wiggins, a registered nurse who was turned away from an apartment Trump managed because of her skin color, introduced Hillary, describing the impact Trump’s actions had on her life.

Years later, in the 1980’s, Trump took out full-page ads in four newspapers calling for the death penalty for a group of black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly convicted of a crime, some as young as 14 years old. Just recently, Trump doubled down on his view that the five men, who were exonerated based on DNA evidence, are still guilty and should go to jail. Trump’s refusal to accept the evidence and admit he was wrong about the Central Park 5 is deeply disturbing, and continues to exacerbate deep and painful wounds borne by the men and their families.

The choice is clear. Americans deserve a president who believes Americans are stronger together, not one whose dark and divisive vision is fundamentally at odds with who we are as Americans.

As the presidential election draws to a close, here’s a recap of Trump’s pattern of discrimination and divisiveness:

A History of Housing Discrimination

• Trump was twice sued by the Department of Justice for discrimination in housing.
• Despite Trump’s claim that many companies were sued for discrimination when he was, the truth is that Fred and Donald Trump’s violation of the law was so egregious that the case made against them was “one of the strongest”
• At the first presidential debate, Trump admitted he was sued for housing discrimination saying, “we settled… it was very easy.”
• Trump’s real estate company had a disturbing practice of marking applications from black families with the letter “‘C’, for ‘Colored.”
• A Trump building manager had the rental application of a black woman and was instructed to “‘Take the application and put it in a drawer and leave it there,’ Mr. Leibowitz, now 88, recalled in an interview.”
• The N-word was used Trump offices and Donald was reportedly was in the room when it happened.
• Black families made up a tiny percentage of renters in Trump-owned buildings.

Trump vs. Central Park 5

• Trump paid for a racially provocative ad calling on New York lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty for five teenage Latino and African American men who were wrongfully accused of raping a woman.
• Trump refused to acknowledge the innocence of The Central Park 5 even after their 2014 exoneration.

The Birtherism Conspiracy Theory

• Trump led the birther movement in an attempt to delegitimize America’s first black president
• Trump continued pushing his birtherism theory to delegitimize President Barack Obama every Trump’s conspiracy theory: President Obama is a Muslim and rendered ineligible for the presidency because he was born in Kenya.
• When asked what he would say to people of color who were hurt by his remarks Trump repeatedly said, “I say nothing.”

Trump’s Hateful Rhetoric

• Trump has failed to appropriately disavow racists and white supremacists like David Duke supporting his campaign.
• Trump said African Americans have “nothing to lose” by voting for him because: “You’re living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs.”
• Trump continues to ignore history and disparage black Americans, saying the African American community is in the worst shape “ever, ever, ever” and African Americans in cities are “living in hell” and living in “war zones.”
• Trump retweeted “racially loaded” and “wildly inaccurate” statistics claiming Blacks were responsible for 81 percent of White homicides.

Hateful Movements

• Trump’s campaign shared an anti-Semitic image on his twitter that first appeared on white supremacist websites.
• Trump has received an outpouring of support from hate movements like the alt-right.
• White Supremacists used Trump’s candidacy as a recruiting tool.
• White Supremacists and Klan members supported Trump, comparing his views to their views.
• David Duke said Trump has “Made it OK to talk about these incredible concerns of European Americans today, because I think European Americans know they are the only group that can’t defend their own essential interests and their point of view.
• “Virginia KKK Leader Endorses Trump: ‘What He Believes In, We Believe In.’”
• Trump on being supported by White Supremacists: “A lot of people like me.”

More Discrimination in Trump Organization

• Trump Plaza was fined $200,000 for shuffling Black and female dealers away from a high-rollers table to accommodate the preferences of patron and “reputed mob figure” Robert LiButti.
• Trump Marina was fined for requesting non-Black driver.
• When Trump came to his casino, Black people were allegedly ordered off the floor, according to a former employee in a report by The New Yorker.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Senator Sanders Campaigns for Hillary in the Heartland

Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Iowa and Nebraska on Friday. His first events were in Davenport and Iowa City. During his speech at each event, Sanders stressed the importance of electing Democrats to ensure their progressive agenda become law. He spoke about Clinton’s plans to combat climate change, invest in clean energy, address campaign finance reform, reign in income inequality, and make college more affordable for students. Clinton’s college plan was developed with Sanders and he spoke about it in detail. He urged everyone to vote for Clinton and progressive platform saying, “The importance of this [platform] document is we are not going to let it sit on a shelf. We are going to incorporate those ideas into legislation to transform America. Iowa, thank you for making that possible.” Videos from the event in Iowa City are below.

In Cedar Rapids, Sanders spoke to a crowd of supporters on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. He spoke about a number of Clinton’s platform points and the importance of electing progressives. He urged everyone to vote next Tuesday and encouraged the students to remain active in politics after the election saying, “But then the day after the election, after Hillary wins, I want you to pledge yourself to work as hard as you can with your friends and your co-workers to make this country what you and I know that we can become. Stand up for economic justice, social justice, racial justice, environmental justice. Let’s go forward and transform America.”

Sanders’ final event of the day was a rally in Omaha, Nebraska. Sanders maintained his progressive message talking about Clinton’s progressive platform and plans to raise the minimum wage and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. Sanders said that electing Donald Trump would be a disaster, but he also said that the election is going to be close. “My own gut feel is it’s going to be a very, very close election,” he said. Sanders urged everyone to get out and vote next Tuesday. A video from the event will be posted when/if available.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: Our Quad Cities, Iowa City Press-Citizen, The Courier, Omaha World-Herald

Hillary Clinton Campaigns with Mothers of the Movement in North Carolina

Hillary Clinton returned to North Carolina on Sunday where she spoke at a Sunday morning church service and two campaign events. At each of the events, she appeared with Mothers of the Movement, a group of women who have lost children as a the result of gun violence. She began this morning in Durham where spoke at Union Baptist Church. Clinton spoke about the importance of reducing violence, reforming the criminal justice system, and working to end the racial divide in our country. A video of Clinton’s remarks is below.

Clinton spoke to a crowd of supporters at St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh about her plans as president, but she also turned the focus of her message away from herself and on candidates running for office down ballot. She spoke about the importance of electing Democratic Senate candidate Deborah Ross in North Carolina, and Clinton encouraged voters to support Ross in addition to supporting her and Tim Kaine on November 8th. While in Raleigh, Clinton also met with voters outside of an early voting center. Watch a video of Clinton’s speech from the rally below.

Clinton then traveled to Charlotte where she spoke to a group of supporters at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte. During her speech, Clinton went after Donald Trump for his pledge to not accept the results of the election saying that he is a “direct threat to our democracy.” Clinton then spoke about a number of her key platform proposals including a plan to invest in the infrastructure, increasing investments in the economy, and her plan to make college affordable for everyone. Clinton said that she understands that not everyone supports her and there will be people that vote for Trump, but she wants to be a president for everyone. “I want to be the president for every American – Democrats, Republicans, independents. We have to bring this country together. We have to have everyone pulling in the same direction. I understand some people are angry, but anger is not a plan,” she said. Watch a video of her speech below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: WNCN, News & Observer, NBC News, The Charlotte Observer

HFA Releases Issue Based Video Series

Earlier this week, Hillary for America released a series of issue based videos featuring African Americans talking about issues that are important to them. Topics covered include education, voting rights, criminal justice, health care, racial justice, LGBT rights, mental health, income inequality, and more. Each video is a powerful reminder about why the election is important. Watch the video series below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Hillary Clinton Campaigns in Michigan and Ohio

Following last night’s debate, Hillary Clinton returned to the campaign trail with events in Michigan and Ohio. Clinton’s first event was on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit. While her speech covered a number of platform points, she also spoke about bipartisanship saying that she is “winning more and more support not just from independents but also Republicans.” She then went after Donald Trump for his divisive campaign, name calling, and refusal to release his income tax records. “I believe everyone in this room has paid more income tax than (Trump) has,” she said. Clinton concluded by talking about the importance of voting in the November election. A video of Clinton’s speech is below.

Clinton then spoke at a rally at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The event was by far the largest of the campaign with over 18,000 people filling the oval. During the event, Clinton spoke about a variety of her platform points including reigning in the costs of higher education. She also spoke about her opponent and criticized him for not buying steel made in the United States, but instead buying steel from China. Clinton also spoke about her time as a public servant saying, “When Donald Trump talks about what I have been doing for the last 30 years, I welcome that. Because in the 1970s, I was working to end discrimination and he was being sued by the Justice Department for racial discrimination. In the 1980s, I was working to improve the schools in Arkansas … while he was getting a loan for $14 million from his father to start a business. On the day that I was in the Situation Room watching the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, he was hosting Celebrity Apprentice.” A full video of Clinton’s speech is below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: Patch, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland.com

Hillary Clinton Answers Questions Submitted by Glamour Readers

On Thursday, Glamour magazine published an article featuring a series of reader-submitted questions, all answered by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton answered twelve questions on a wide range of including her plan to create jobs, combat sexual assault, encourage bipartisanship, confront racial tension, combat terrorism, ensure women’s rights, and protect Social Security. While Clinton has participated in a number of Q&A sessions before, this is the first that also published a reaction from the questioner. The person who submitted the question was given Clinton’s answer in advance and asked to react. Read all twelve of the questions, answers, and reactions HERE.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: Glamour

HFA Statement in Response to Trump’s Speech in Philadelphia

Following Donald Trump’s speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Hillary for America Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri released the following statement:

“Like a schoolyard bully who can’t rely on facts or issues, Trump has only one way of responding to legitimate criticism of his own vulnerabilities: ‘I know you are, but what am I?’

Hillary Clinton’s well-founded criticisms of Trump, laid out in meticulous detail, become taunts and insults from Trump with no basis in reality. When she lays out a thoughtful speech outlining why he is unfit to be Commander in Chief, he calls her unhinged.  She gives a speech on his disturbing history of racial discrimination and ties to white supremacists and the alt-right movement, he calls her a bigot.  You could dismiss these actions as insecure schoolyard behavior but this man is running to be President of the United States.  As Hillary Clinton has said, anyone you can bait this easily is not someone you can trust be Commander in Chief.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Hill

Clinton Speaks at African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia

On Friday evening, Hillary Clinton spoke in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Clinton spoke about the events of the week: the police killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; the police shooting of Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota; and the sniper attack in Dallas, Texas that killed five police officers and wounded several others. Clinton said that each of the killings were “senseless” and condemned violence saying, “We know there is something wrong in this country. There is too much violence, too much hate, too much senseless killing. Too many people dead who shouldn’t be.”

Clinton spoke about the racial divide that only seems to be growing saying, “As we know, there is clear evidence that African-Americans are much more likely to be killed in police incidents than any other group of Americans. And we know there is too little trust in too many places between police and the communities they are sworn to protect.” Clinton said that good law enforcement officers far outnumber those who are bad and a violent response to violence is not the answer. The protest in Dallas yesterday was peaceful and police were there to monitor the crowds and ensure the protesters’ safety when they were fired upon by a sniper. Clinton spoke about her proposal to invest $1 billion in police training across the county to ensure the safety of law enforcement officers as well as the general public. A video of Clinton’s speech is below and a transcript can be read HERE.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Philadelphia Magazine, Penn Live

Hillary Clinton Interviewed on CNN, PBS

On Friday, Hillary Clinton appeared on CNN where she was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer. During the interview, Blitzer asked Clinton about the conclusion of the FBI’s investigation into her email practices as Secretary of State. She said, “It was a mistake for me to use personal email. And I regret that. I am certainly relieved and glad that the investigation has concluded but I also know how important it is to make sure everybody understands that I would certainly not do that again.” The State Department has opened an inquiry into Clinton’s email use as well as email use in the department.

Clinton and Blitzer also discussed recent racial tensions including the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the murder of five police officers in Dallas. Clinton responded saying that we need to more as a country to respect each other and the police. She spoke about her proposed plans for criminal justice reform saying that there needs to be a clearer guideline for police to use force, and more needs to be done to protect our law enforcement officers. A video from the interview is below.

Update: Clinton also spoke with Judy Woodruff for PBS NewHour. During the interview, Clinton called for a national standard for police forces to follow in light of the events in Baton Rouge, Minnesota, and Dallas. Woodruff also asked Clinton about the FBI’s investigation into her email server. Clinton challenged the call by many Republicans to revoke her access to classified material. She argued that she has been mindful of sensitive information saying, “Well, I think there is a lot of evidence to that, based on eight years as a senator handling a lot of classified material, based as four years as a secretary of state, handling classified material, which, in my view, didn’t include what was sent on an unclassified system, and certainly was the judgment of the hundreds of people with experience and expertise who dealt with me.” A video of the interview is below and a transcript is available HERE.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: PBS, CNN

Hillary Clinton Speaks at the Ohio Democratic Party Legacy Dinner

Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton each spoke with Ohio Democrats at the Ohio Democratic Party Legacy Dinner. While Sanders gave a brief speech, Clinton took advantage of the opportunity to tell Ohio voters what a Clinton presidency would mean to them. She focused her speech on a number of Ohio events including the auto industry and Senate Bill 5, a law from 2011 would would have limited collective bargaining rights for unions. Clinton said, “When the chips were down, you did not let Gov. John Kasich drown out the voices of Ohio’s public servants. Now let’s stand up for all unions nationwide because when unions are strong, families are strong, the middle class is strong, and America is strong.”

Clinton also went after Republican front Donald Trump saying that he is not “who we are.” She went on saying, “Americans have rejected demagogues and fearmongers. You don’t make America great again by getting rid of everything that made America great in the first place.” Clinton also took a swipe at Sanders as well saying, “America is a big, complicated country facing big, complicated challenges. We can’t afford a single issue strategy or a single-issue president. Knocking down barriers means we can’t just talk about economic inequality, we also have to take on racial inequality.” A video of Clinton’s speech is below.

This morning, Clinton spoke to the congregation of Mount Zion Fellowship church in Highland Hills, Ohio. During her speech, she spoke about the importance of equality in the country and vowed to fight to break down barriers so everyone can take advantage of everything America has to offer. Clinton shared her favorite quote from former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag. You don’t know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.”

For all the latest, follow our revamped Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The New York Times, Ohio Democrats